Weekly Anime Music Releases – March 16

Well, we’re back, with a new set of anime music releases. Compared to our previous posts under this category, instead of trying to capture everything that’s released — frankly, that’s a lot of music to keep track of — we’ll go with a list of CDs that we think are notable. At least, for those of you who, like me, are still avid CD collectors. There’s some quality stuff to be had, so here’s what we can expect out of the week of March 16:

Anime OP/ED Singles

ERASED

Album Name: Re:Re:Artist: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATIONPurchase at:CDJapan
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION’s entry for ERASED isn’t necessarily a new composition, but they’ve added some slight tweaks to it. Personally, I enjoy the song. It’s definitely leagues above the crappiness that was the ending theme, Sayuri and Yuki Kajiura’s “Sore wa Chiisana Hikari no you na”, anyway and I’d definitely recommend giving this one a look.

Anime Soundtracks and Albums

Dagashi Kashi

Album Name: Dagashikashi ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKArtist: Nobuaki Nobusawa, Tomotaka OsumiPurchase at:CDJapan
This soundtrack features the pairing of Nobuaki Nobusawa and Tomotaka Osumi, both of whom are somewhat light in the soundtrack department. Nobuaki Nobusawa’s experience mostly comes from arrangement work in conjunction with Masaru Yokoyama and some compositions for Lord Marksman and Vanadis while Tomotaka Osumi is more of a J-pop composer, having written many opening and ending themes. Because of that, I’m not really expecting much here.

Haikyu!! Second Season

Album Name: Haikyu!! Second Season Original Soundtrack VOL.1Artist: Yuki Hayashi, Asami TachibanaPurchase at:CDJapan
I’ve only listened to bits and pieces of Haikyu‘s soundtrack, but what I’ve head was decently enjoyable. Yuki Hayashi’s work captures the to and fro action of a volleyball match, from the simple practices session mood pieces to the heavier competitive action tracks. Hayashi is somewhat of a newcomer, but he’s already impressed people with his ability to connect the music to the scenes. Asami Tachibana has been a reliable partner as well as she floats between working with Hayashi to working with other big names like Sawano. If you enjoyed Haikyu‘s OST offerings, I’d expect more of the same here.

Yowamushi Pedal the Movie

Album Name: Yowamushi Pedal the Movie ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKArtist: Kan SawadaPurchase at:CDJapan
Another sports anime with a decent soundtrack, Yowamushi Pedal‘s music, with Kan Sawada at the helm, evokes the sense of freedom associated with biking. So much so that it’s gotten me up and about to bike on weekends. There’s an energy that you’ll find present in many sports anime of its ilk and I’d definitely give this one a look if you enjoyed the anime series’ OST.